Ocean lens for biodiversity within One Health: Claims to coastal-marine megafauna species, Brazil

Abstract Coastal-marine megafauna (marine mammals, reptiles, and seabirds) are key components of healthy marine-coastal environments. These ecosystems are tied to the land and the ocean through rivers, estuaries, beaches, mangroves, and restinga systems. These species and their ecosystems have been suffering from diverse pressures such as urbanization, tourism exploitation and unsolved public health issues in terrestrial and urban environments. These health issues have been overflowing into the ocean, evolving as marine-coastal megafauna contamination and possible toxicity, unpredicted episodes of infectious diseases, subclinical and clinical health issues; animal behavioral change and problems in population re-establishment and recovery. Furthermore, with the loss of marine-coastal natural environmental disposition, coastal marine megafauna have been dealing with food sources issues, shelter and a quiet place for birth-giving, nurseries and long parental care. These animals represent a relevant presence in scientific research. As well they are considered linking species between the land and the ocean. However, even though this importance has been shown in overall scientific literature, little has been cited about the importance of these species in promoting or in sustaining the health of their ecosystem within the scope of One Health Biodiversity literature. Therewith, this letter aims to highlight the importance of coastal-marine megafauna citations under Biodiversity One Health topic publications. Moreover, this letter aims to contribute to One Health interventions and intersectoral collaboration for a full scan of anthropic marine-coastal environmental issues for critical problems in land and in the ocean; and, finally, it aims to support a stronger and closer collaboration in favor of the coastal-marine and terrestrial One Health linkages. One Health impact statement This commentary is relevant to draw near the contexts, in One Health, that exists among earth and the ocean, through the coastal-marine animal species health and its connections. The animals and the environment may benefit from this approach, that aims to emphasize the importance of this subject within One Health and in the world of literature (scientific citations). Also, Professors, researchers, students and professionals, as intersectorial initiative actors, can benefit from this short-communication, as a resource and to promote stronger collaborative work. One Health and the wide extensions of the Concept have allowed us to work more profoundly on the systemic and multidimensional views of problems, which have been providing us with the opportunity to face the problems from different field views and to use different approaches to find solutions that embrace all prismas: human, animal, environmental and plants’ health. These broader views and needs in collaboration have been changing not only Professor, leaders and sectors, but students mind, opening their horizons and preparing them to a new way to see and work in benefit of the future.